13 Feb Welcoming Freshman Kit: Helps Students Connect With University
Welcoming freshmen to the university is one of the most important tasks as that first impression is crucial to ensure that the students settle in well. The university, faculty, and peers will be family to the students for the next few years and so making students feel comfortable on campus is vital. Universities across the globe understand this well and plan an orientation ceremony to introduce the incoming students to not just the premises, but also the age-old traditions, work-ethics, and culture. This becomes especially essential as universities across the globe see an influx of international students who come from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
In 2021 the way of doing things has changed, but the universities have, to a large extent, adapted and taken to organising impactful virtual events. Freshmen orientation is no different. Many universities are offering blended plans, where the courses will be comprised partly of on-campus classes and partly of remote learning courses. Also, travel restrictions have still not been completely lifted in all countries and many international students have taken up remote learning courses. The virtual orientation means that universities can easily engage these students based in other countries as well.
Planning freshman orientation is a complicated thing for several reasons. It would have been easy if the universities could build a template and follow it year after year. However, doing this is boring and reflects negatively on the brand. Colleges around the world have had to be creative and come up with new games and competitions each year. With virtual orientation, universities would need to be just as innovative, if not more.
All universities are different in their tradition and culture as well as have varied demographics when it comes to their students. So, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to organize the perfect freshman orientation ceremony. Nevertheless, a general guideline on what the universities should focus on always helps to improve such events.
Be Innovative: Optimize Programs for Virtual Platform
Universities have been conducting freshman orientation events since ages, and doing them well. So it is only natural to want to do a similar event on the virtual platform as well. Traditional event
comprised of many things that might not be practical online. Maybe you included many group activities, buddy programs, and such things to make the event fun and help students connect with each other. Besides this, traditional events lasted for at least an hour or more, which might not be feasible for a virtual event. Although these things might seem like limitations, virtual events can be so much more. Universities should look at this as an opportunity to learn and innovate as well as find creative ways of doing things.
Think through what makes the event and first decide if you are going to host a live event or publish a compiled video of pre-recorded clips. It is also possible and more appropriate to post this video as a precursor to the live event. Specify a time and stick by it as virtual events in most cases will not hold the attention of the audience for long. If necessary, allot time slots for batches and prioritize announcements and speeches.
Keep it Interesting, Informative & Precise
Motivational speeches by the faculty and prominent people are a big part of freshman orientation. They should be included in virtual ceremony as well. However, keeping speeches demonstrative and illustrative will help retain the attention of the audience. As is the nature of virtual events, it is important to keep the announcements and speeches short and precise. Besides this, it is also important to give away key information regarding different faculties and administration and so on. This will help the new students know what they can do if they hit a roadblock.
Engage Students: Clubs, Forums and Activities
This is an important part of overall experience and universities can include it as part of the virtual event as well. In traditional events, getting the students involved was done through games, competitions, and group activities. This might not be possible in an online event, but there are ways to get students to connect with each other and get involved in activities. Do a Get-Know-Your-Peers activity online. This can be a place for students to introduce each other and give glimpse of the world they come from. Encourage students to join clubs, form club forums on social media platforms and share their activities. Using social media platforms also means that students can make friends and contact others with whom they have made connections. It will also allow students to seek help from their seniors in case they have any doubts or new student jitters.
Freshman Kits: Customized, Cost-effective Merchandise
It is a known fact that all of university’s operations have been affected at various levels. First, from having to shift to complete remote learning and then to gradually opening up for on-campus classes, things have been uncertain and it will be a while to get any sort of semblance. Today, most universities have both, on-campus as well as remote-learning students, and they are doing everything and more to give the students what they deserve.
Among such efforts is a freshman kit, a simple customized gift box to welcome the new students. This kit has created tangible impact for the universities. The new students are looking to establish a connection with the university and this kit does just that.
Imagine the joy that a student will feel when he gets a surprise gift from the university just before his classes are about to start? Just a personalized postcard, customized diary, and a pen will do the trick. There is a wide range of things like a mug, bottle, apparel, a popsocket, some sweets, and much more, that can be included in the freshman kit. Functional items will be more appreciated and are perfect to create positive impressions for the university.
Hue, having a huge collection of merchandise, helps universities across the world to tailor a customized and cost-effective gift for their new students. We also offer customization, personalization, and global shipping services. Hue has years of experience and has been the perfect university marcom partner for institutes across the globe. To know more write to us at marketing@huemarcom.com
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